Influence of the Renaissance

influance of Renaissance.

Renaissance, in its general understanding is viewed as a historical age in Europe which covered the period between the Middle Ages and the Reformation. Its extent was from the 14th to the 16th century. "The Italian Renaissance of the 15th century represented a re-connection of the west with classical antiquity, the absorption of knowledge (particularly mathematics), a focus on the importance of living well in the present (Renaissance humanism), and an explosion of the dissemination of knowledge brought on by the advent of printing. In addition, the creation of new techniques in art, poetry, and architecture led in turn to a radical change in the style and substance of the arts and letters. The Italian Renaissance was often labeled as the beginning of the Modern Age, or the Early Modern" (Wikipedia Encyclopedia).

As an important figure of the Renaissance period, we can depict Sandro Botticelli. His birth name is Alessandro di Mariano Filipepi, but, as most of the artists, he has chosen a different name under which he released his creations. Born on March 1st, 1445, Botticelli was an Italian painter of the Florentine school. His apprentice period was under the guidance of Fra Filippo Lippi (1406-1469). In addition to that, he had the chance to experience the influence of other painters and artists like: Antonio del Pollaiuolo and Andrea del Verrocchio.

By 1470, Sandro owned his personal workshop. His first paintings were of minor importance. However, in 1470 he created the "Allegory of Fortitude" for the Florentine Tribunate di Mercatanzia. His break through consisted of the painting called "Adoration of the Magi" and the portraits of the members of the Medici family, one of the most important clans of that time. Due to his art work, Botticelli found particular favor with the Medici. As a result of his close relationship with the family, the painter was introduced to a more select world, consisting of a group of humanists led by Lorenzo de Medici. These new acquaintances were passionate about the revival of the classical past. Their debate subjects were over Virgil, Hesiod, Homer and Pindar. Consequently, Botticelli's work suffered the influences of his new concerns. Therefore, within this period, he created the "Birth of Venus" and "Primavera." "These paintings were first suggested by Lorenzo the Magnificent himself, the great man's favorite writer Ange Poliziano set the stories to verse, after which it was handed to Pico della Mirandola for interpretation, approved by Marsilio Ficino and finally delivered to Botticelli for painting" (Botticelli- Renaissance Master Artist). "These are mythologies, not of the capricious Ovidian sort, but, it has been suggested, ones that embody the moral and metaphysical Neoplatonic ideas that were then fashionable in the Medici circles. Pure visual poetry, they are stylistically the quintessence of Botticelli: there is a deliberate denial of rational spatial construction and no attempt to model solid-looking figures; instead the figures float on the forward plane of the picture against a decorative landscape backdrop, and form, defined by outline, is willfully modified to imbue that outline with expressive power" (http://www.artchive.com/artchive/B/botticelli.html).

His fresco of "St. Augustine in his Study" was painted in 1480 for the Florentine church in Ognissanti. We can perceive a change of style, more monumental, paying more attention to the naturalistic aspect.

Most of Botticelli's life was spent in Florence, at his workshop. However, during 1481 and 1482 he agreed to cooperate with Perugino, Ghirlandaio and Rosselli to paint frescoes in the Sistine Chapel. The themes that he chose were inspired by both the Old and the New Testament and were called: "The trials of Moses," "The temptation of Christ" and "The punishment of Korah, Dathan and Abiram." Initially, the painters were given the assignment to create sample frescoes which were to be evaluated. On the basis of the evaluation, they were to be employed or not. However, their talent was rapidly acknowledged and they were commissioned to continue the work without any other testing. The individual scenes constitute a whole because they comprise typological references to one another. They present Moses as prefiguring Christ. We must mention, however, that, only after Michelangelo's later work (1508-1512) did the Chapel become famous.

After the Medici's expulsion from Florence, Botticelli felt the influence of a Dominican monk called Girolamo Savonarola. In Savonarola's point-of-view, everything that wasn't useful in the life of humans didn't deserve any attention. Therefore, he destroyed many works of art, in his "bonfire of vanities." Because of this man, Sandro was deeply affected and his interior feelings were also reflected in his work.

As a review, we can mention that Botticelli's early works consist mostly of small and medium format pane paintings depicting the Madonna. The style seems to resemble his teacher's (Filippo Lippi) approach. This period is marked by his first biblical creation entitled "Adoration of the Magi." Botticelli was a very religious person and he proved this fact by his paintings which comprise many religious themes. The many portrays of Madonna stand as a proof. Among them, we can refer to: "Madonna and Child with an Angel" (1465-1467), "Madonna and Child (Madonna della Loggia)" (1467), "Madonna in Glory with Seraphim" (1969-1470), "Madonna of the Rosegarden (Madonna del Roseto)" etc. However, in addition to his religious beliefs, Sandro chose his topics in relation to the demand. Religious paintings and frescoes were highly commissioned at that time.

During 1470, Sandro was recognized as a portraitist. As examples of creations, we can mention: the various paintings entitled "Portrait of a Young Man" and the portrait of "Giuliano de' Medici." These present the subjects in a three-quarter view. However, his later portraits do not contain the same backgrounds as before. He reduces them to only one color in order to lay emphasis on the person. This is a sign of his shift from the old ornamental style to a more ascetic one.